Flier frame structure



J1me 1943- 'r. L. M GOVERN FLIER FRAME STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 10, 1941 [av-e12 for Thomas L. 111060 aem By 6 a v4 rzzey Patented June 15, 1943 S -?ATENT OFFlfiE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved flier frame structure for roving machines, and more particularly to means for resisting outward movement of the presser foot as the flier frame rotates, so that the presser foot may be maintained continually in a substantially uniform contact relation with the package being formed.

One object of the invention is to provide in a device of this character, means tending to maintain the presser foot constantly in a substantially uniform pressure relation with the surface of the package being formed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of resiliently acting control means interengaging with the flier frame and presser member for counteracting the influence of centrifugal force influencing the presser foot to cause outward movement of the same radially of the package during rotation of the flier frame.

A further object of the invention is the provision of supporting and guiding means for the presser member comprising a housing having an annular channel formed therein for receiving a curved arm carried by the presser member to serve as a guide therefor.

Another object of the invention is the .provision, in a device of this character, of a novel form of supporting and guiding means for the presser member together with improved means for mounting the same upon an arm of the flier frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention relate to various improved details of construction and novel arrangements of the parts as will be more fully set forth in the detailed description to follow.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the rotatable flier of a-roving machine, showing the same in operative relation with a roving package being formed, the package and supporting spindle therefor being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a presser member adapted to be mounted upon an arm of the flier frame and comprising the usual presser foot as' well as a curved end portion provided with a resilient control member adapted to guide and control the presser member when mounted in operative position upon the flier frame,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a presser member supporting means carried by the arm of the flier frame, as seen when viewed from the rear of Fig. l, and,

Fig. 4 is a view, partially in section, taken substantially along the line t of Fig. l, and

showing the lower section of the presser member supporting and guiding means substantially in elevation.

Heretof'ore, in the'construction and operation of roving frames, the presser member has been mounted upon one arm of the flier frame for unrestricted movement about the supporting arm as a center, being held in contact or substantially in contact with the roving package only by the weight of the presser member. Under the influence of centrifugal force, due to the rapid rotation of the flier frame, the weight of the presser foot and the arm supporting the same causes the presser foot to move outwardly radially of the package so that during the operation of the mechanism the presser foot may occupy positions irregularly spaced relative to the surface of the package and substantially displaced outwardly radially thereof, thereby causing the .roving to be laid loosely or irregularly on thepackage to form a loosely wound package having irregularly shaped spirals in the roving. Such packages formed from irregular and loosely placed windings fail to retain their original shapes and are difficult to handle and process. The failure of the presser foot to maintain a relatively fixed and uniform relation with the surface of the package tends also to form irregularities in the roving, that is, portions of the roving may be stretched out or reduced in size, resulting in irregularities in the thread or yarn formed from the roving.

The present construction is adapted 'to overcome the difficulties above mentioned through providing means for resisting outward radial movement of the presser foot relative to the package under the influence of centrifugal force, whereby the presser foot may be maintained in substantially close proximity to and in uniform relation with the outer surface, of the package at all times during formationof the package. This results in forming a package of uniform wind in whichthe roving is 'of substantiallyuniform size throughout'and wherein-the coils are uniformly shapedandfirmly wound onthe package, to provide a closely'wound package of uniform construction and "high density throughout its extent.

Inthe embodiment of the invention illustrated, herein, 1 designates a roving package which is mounted upon a supporting spindle 2, the package and spindle being shown in dotted lines and located in operative relation with a rotatable flierframe. The-flier frame 4 maycomprise a tubular central portion '6 provided'with an-open end adapted to receive an end 'i of the spindle 2 on which the bobbin 8 carrying the roving pack age is mounted. The flier frame 4 comprises oppositely positioned arms I6 and H located in opposed relation with each other and having the major portions thereof extending downwardly in substantial parallelism with the axis of rotation of the flier. The flier arm I!) is of tubular construction throughout its extent and serves as a guide for a roving 12 which may be passed through an opening l4 formed in a portion of the tubular central part of the flier frame and through the guide opening [3 in the fiier arm into position to be received and applied to the package by the presser foot portion of the presser member.

A presser member I5 is carried by the flier arm and includes a central longitudinally extending portion [6 normally lying in close proximity with the arm 10, and an upper curved offset portion ll adapted to embrace partially a portion of the flier arm H). The presser member I5 is provided adjacent the lower end thereof with a bearin opening l8 shaped to receive the extreme lower end portion of the flier arm l0, and has a curved outwardly extending portion l9 provided with a presser foot having a guide opening 2| formed therein for receiving and guiding the roving.

A housing, designated generally by the reference character 24, is carried by the flier arm [0, and in the present form of the invention comprises mating sections and 26, one or both of which sections may be shaped to provide an annular groove 21 adapted to receive the curved portion [1 of the presser member [5. In the present form of the invention the section 25 is brazed, welded or otherwise firmly secured to the flier arm [0, while the section 26 is sleeved over the lower end portion of the flier arm and may be secured to the arm [0 of the flier or to the section 25 in any suitable or desired manner. In the form of the invention shown, the section 26 is secured to the section 25 by resilient clamping members 28, which may be mounted in grooves 29 formed in the outer surfaces of the sections 25 and 26, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The sections 25 and 26 are provided with radial tongue and groove connections 30 for holding the section 26 against rotation relative to the section 25 which is secured to the flier arm Ill.

The curved offset portion ll of the presser member I5 is adapted to lie within the annular groove 21 formed in one or both of the sections 25 and 26, and is provided with a curvilinear flat spring member 32, having an end 33 fixedly secured to the outer face of the curved portion ll adjacent to the free end thereof, and has the opposite end 34 extending outwardly radially from the body of the curved portion I! to engage resiliently the inner curved faces of the sections 25 and 26 in order to resist outward radial movement of the presser foot 26 relative to the package under the influence of centrifugal force due to the rotation of the flier frame.

The free end 34 of the spring member 32 engages the curved surface of the housing 24 which serves as one wall of the annular groove 21 and exerts pressure thereon, the pressure exerted by the spring member against the housing surface being substantially constant in all angular positions of the presser member relative to the arm it) upon which it is mounted. It follows that the spring 32 acts to resist outward movement of the presser foot radially of the package substantially equally from all diameters of the package, thus operating to maintain the presser foot 20 in substantially uniform pressure relation with the outer surface of the package at all times during the formation of the package, regardles of changes taking place in the package diameter as the size of the package increases. The strength of the spring 32 may be selected to correspond with the closeness of wind desired and accordingly to maintain the presser foot 26 in any desired pressure relation with the surface of the package being formed. Thus, the strength of the spring employed may be made to control substantially the closeness of the wind applied to the package. The resistance exerted by the spring 32 being substantially uniform in all angular positions of the presser member relative to the arm l0 insures substantial uniformity in the winding throughout the package. It follows that the provision of the spring member 32 serves to impart closer and more uniform windings to the package than has been possible previously, as well as making it possible to wind a considerably greater quantity of roving on the bobbin than is the case with the structures now in use.

It is to be understood that the flier arm l2 has sufficient weight to substantially counter-balance the weight of the arm l0 including the presser member [5 and the housing 24 carried thereby, in order to maintain a proper balance and prevent vibration of the flier when rotating at high speed.

It is to be understood that while I have shown and described in some detail one form of my invention for purposes of full disclosure thereof, changes may be made in various particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

That I claim is:

1. In a rotatable flier frame mechanism for roving machines comprising spaced arms, a presser member movably supported by one of said arms and provided with a presser foot for guiding roving to form a package, radially opposed curved surfaces spaced from each other and carried by the presser supporting arm and presser member respectively, and resilient means carried by one of said members and interposed between the radially opposed curved surfaces for engagement therewith to resist outward movement of the presser foot radially of the package substantially uniformly in all positions of the presser foot radially of the package.

2. The combination with a flier frame for roving machines, of a presser member movably supported by said frame and provided with an offset portion and a roving guiding arm, a bearing support for said offset portion carried by said flier frame, and resilient means carried by said offset portion and engageable with said bearing support for restraining movement of said roving guiding arm in one direction relative to said flier frame.

3. The combination with a rotatable flier frame for roving machines having a presser member carried thereby and provided with a presser foot for applying a roving to a package being formed, of spring means carried by a portion of said presser member and engaging operatively a portion of the flier frame to resist outward movement of the presser foot radially of the axis of rotation of the flier frame.

4. In a flier frame having spaced opposed arms, a presser member having a curved offset portion, and means carried by one of the arms of said flier frame for supporting movably the curved offset portion of said presser member comprising a housing provided with a curvilinear recess having curvilinear wall areas forming with said arm a bearing for the curved offset portion of said presser member.

5. In a flier frame having opposed arms, a presser member carried by one of said arms and mounted for movement relative thereto, said presser member being provided with an arcuate end portion, and a support for the arcuate end portion of said member carried by the arm comprising interengaging members, one of said members being fixedly secured to the arm, and means for releasably securing the other of said members to said first member to form with said first member a bearing support for the arcuate end portion of said presser member.

6. In a device of the character described, a rotatable flier having spaced, opposed arms located upon opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the flier, a presser member having a curved supporting portion and a presser foot, a supporting bearing carried by one of the flier arms having an annular recess formed therein to receive the curved supporting portion of said presser member and provide curvilinear wall areas forming a bearing therefor, and spring means interposed between the outer wall area of the recess and the curved supporting portion of said presser member.

7, In a flier frame mechanism for roving machines having spaced opposed arms, a presser member carried by said frame and mounted for angular movement relative to one of said arms, said presser member being provided With a presser arm for guiding roving to a package being formed, means comprising radially spaced curved surfaces carried by said frame and presser member, respectively, and resilient means interengaging with the radially spaced curved surfaces carried by said flier frame and presser member to resist outward movement of the presser arm from the package while exerting no force upon the presser member tending to cause movement of the presser arm toward the package being formed.

THOMAS L. MCGOVERN. 

